Emily Susan Drummond (c.1809-1878) An album of 36 watercolours and drawings of Bedgebury Park and its surroundings Including architectural views of Bedgebury Park House, interior views of rooms in the house, views of cottages and buildings in the Bedgebury Park grounds, and views of the surrounding area Comprising of twenty-eight watercolours over pencil, eight pencil drawings, several heightened with white Several signed and variously dated 1849-1850 All neatly laid onto album leaves, with corresponding manuscript text descripion on reverse of page The majority 23 x 32.5 cm. (9 x 12 3/4 in), or the reverse, some smaller 27 x 18.5 cm. (10 1/2 x 7 1/4 in) Presented in original green calf album, gilt lettering on cover reading ¾dgebury Park' , small folio Provenance: with Louisa (née Beresford, later Hope), Viscountess Beresford (1791-1851) [gifted by the artist, with dedication inscription on flyleaf]; Issac Lewis (who bought Bedgebery Estate from the Beresfords in 1899); Henry D. Lewis, of Combwell Priory; and thence by descent to the present owner. Comparative literature: Susan Lasdun, Making Victorians: The Drummond Children's World , 1983 The Bedgebury Park Estate has a rich and long history of residents, with John de Bedgebury listed as the earliest, who resided in Bedgebury in the fourteenth century. It is recorded that Elizabeth I visited in August 1573. The current house was built in 1688 for Sir James Hayes, and later passed to the Stephenson family who it is said began to improve the plantings of what would later became the pinetum. In the 1840s Viscount William Beresford purchased and developed the estate, creating the village of Kilndown and three lodges (quite possibly one of which Drummond illustrates in the present album). Beresford initiated the development of the pinetum which was later to become the Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest after being sold by Issac Lewis to the Crown Estate in 1918. It was during the developments made by Beresford that Emily Susan Drummond would have visited and begun her album which she later gifted to Vicountess Beresford. Emily Susan Drummond was the daughter of Lady Emily Charlotte Drummond, neé Percy, (1787-1877) and Andrew Mortimer Drummond (1786-1864). Emily Susan Drummond was one of nine children, who are best known for their illustrations published by Susan Lasdun (op.cit. 1983). The present album not only shows an insight into the development of Bedgebury Estate, but with the views of the surrounding grounds, and the interior views showing the contemporary furnishings and antiques as they were in Bedgebury House, it is also an insightful document into Victorian England.